TAICHUNG mayor Jason Hu has assured Singaporeans that food products from Taiwan are safe for consumption.

Hu, who was in Singapore yesterday to promote his city's food industry, said this in reference to the recent food scare in Taiwan earlier this year. In May, traces of maleic acid were found in starch products such as bubble tea tapioca pearls.

He added that pastries, coffee and tea imported from Taichung in Taiwan have been approved by both the Taiwan Peace Diet HACCP and the Agri-food Veterinary Authority of Singapore. Speaking at a press conference at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, he acknowledged that many have lost confidence in Taiwan's food safety and asked for stricter controls.

"The stricter the regulations the better," said Hu. The event to promote Taichung products included food from 20 different Taichung-based food companies, as well as a show case of the longest pop-up book in the world featuring Taichung's scenery and food. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

THE family of the prison inmate who died after suffering breathing difficulties while in an isolation cell will be compensated by the Government, which has also accepted liability.

This was revealed in parliament yesterday by Second Minister for Home Affairs S. Iswaran, in response to questions raised by MPs about the death of Dinesh Raman Chinnaiah on Sept 27, 2010.

A senior prisons officer, the direct supervising officer then, was charged in court last month. Lim Kwo Yin pleaded guilty to causing death by a negligent act and was fined S$10,000 (RM25,870).

Iswaran said: "The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been in touch with the family of Dinesh Raman and their lawyer to discuss the family's concerns, as well as the matter of compensation."

However, he declined to provide a figure or more details as discussions were ongoing.

The minister also revealed that the Prison Service has since reviewed its instructions on inmate Control and Restraint (C&R) techniques to greater emphasise the risk of positional asphxiation – found to have been the cause of Dinesh Raman's death – as well as measures to prevent such incidents.

One new measure is to have C&R techniques applied on inmates in a standing position where possible, said Iswaran.

With the conclusion of the court case, the MHA has also started disciplinary action against the superintendent, supervisors and other officers involved in the incident, Iswaran said. — The Straits Times Asia News Network

THE Government intends to require all public officers who visit casinos frequently or who purchase the annual casino entry pass to declare these actions, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said in Parliament.

Teo was responding to questions by MPs after a spate of corruption cases involving public servants, including one involving an assistant director at the CPIB who has been charged with misappropriating S$1.7mil (RM4.4mil) to fund a gambling habit.

The Public Service Division is reviewing the rules on casino visits by all public officers, Teo said.

There is currently no blanket rule prohibiting public officers from visiting the casinos, but agencies have imposed restrictions in cases where conflict of interests may arise.

Officers from the Casino Regula­tory Authority and police officers working on matters involving the casinos are prohibited from visiting the two casinos except for official duties.

Other police officers, Central Narcotics Bureau officers as well as Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) officers have to declare a casino visit within seven days.

"PSD is currently working out the new rules to strike a balance between strengthening safeguards and imposing too many checks and rules on the system and public officers," he said. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

"I chose Irina, as she is such a vivacious woman, and with all the beautiful women in the campaign, I really needed someone who would keep the audience's attention," Cruz said.

In fact, as Cruz told WWD, the experience was extremely personal.

"They gave me all the freedom, and I was able to tell the story I wanted to tell. I used women of all shapes and ages, as it was important for me to let women know that this brand is for everyone," she shared.

The film can be viewed on the brand's website. Cheaper than the main Agent Provocateur lingerie sets, the L'Agent collection will sell at an average price of US$61.50 (RM200), but won't be available in the brand's own stores. – AFP Relaxnews

Unbeatable may have taken a while to make, but director Dante Lam is happy with the result.

Dante Lam's Unbeatable first came across our radar when its leads bagged top acting honours at the recent 16th Shanghai International Film Festival, with Nick Cheung winning the best actor award and Crystal Lee winning best actress.

Filmed in Macau and Hong Kong, Unbeatable is an action movie that features mixed martial arts. Lam was excited to work with a multi-national cast: Cheung is from Hong Kong, Eddie Peng is Taiwanese-Canadian, Andy On is Chinese-American and of course, Lee is from Malaysia.

"I enjoy making each and every one of my films, but this one even more so. When filming action blockbusters, there tends to be many sources of stress. For example, when filming on a street, various issues could crop up which would require some quick-thinking to solve the problem.

"In comparison, Unbeatable was quite different as I was able to enjoy the shooting process, and conduct detailed discussions with the actors about their roles, which created a more enjoyable atmosphere," shared Lam, 48, in an e-mail interview.

According to the director, Peng was the perfect choice to play Li Si Qi because they are alike in some ways.

Though Unbeatable was conceptualised five years ago, Lam had problems getting actors for the film, so he had to put the movie on hold. In the meantime, though, Lam focused on working on – and releasing – The Viral Factor (2012), The Stool Pigeon (2010), Fire Of Conscience (2010), Sniper (2009) and Beast Stalker (2008).

"Naturally, Nick Cheung was my first choice and I was surprised at how much he pushed himself to great effect. Our previous two collaborations (Beast Stalker and The Stool Pigeon) were already tough to do, but Unbeatable exerted a whole different level of physical challenge. Nonetheless, we both share the same ideology: The film industry is a tough one, but the audience can see the effort you put in and the sacrifices you make for the film," said Lam.

In Unbeatable, Cheung portrays debt-ridden former boxing champ Chin Fai, who is forced to flee Hong Kong to Macau to avoid further harassment from loan sharks. There, he befriends his neighbour's bossy daughter Dani (Lee) and meets a young boxer named Li Si Qi (Peng).

Seeing how Li is determined to win a boxing match, Fai becomes the young man's mentor, and eventually rediscovers his own passion to fight.

Having to buff up for the role of a lean and mean mixed martial arts fighter may be a tall order for some actors, but Cheung spared nothing to acquire the physique of a boxer. He went on a strict diet and hit the gym daily.

Famed for his dedication to his craft, Cheung had previously spent six months working out for the role of a convict in the Roy Chow-helmed Nightfall. He had lost so much weight then that he was only 53kg by the time filming began for Nightfall.

At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur in June with Cheung and Lee, the former recalled an embarrassing moment.

"I was changing out of my clothes for the next scene and had just removed my shirt when I noticed that everybody in the room, whether they were male or female, were just staring at me. It was terribly embarrassing," said the 45-year-old actor, who stopped going to the gym after he was done with Unbeatable as he had "absolutely no interest in body-building and only did it for the movie".

Cheung had some tough times while filming the movie.

"My pinky finger was broken in so many places (a stuntman had accidentally kicked him), it was shaped like the letter 'Z'. It was so bad that I didn't even dare look at it while I was waiting in the emergency room. But my only concern then was that it would affect the movie. At that time, we hadn't even started filming the action sequences yet and my scenes included punching sandbags, fighting with opponents in the boxing ring and getting beaten up," said Cheung.

As for the character of young boxer Li Si Qi, director Lam thought he wouldn't be able to find the perfect actor until he met 31-year-old Peng, whose commitment to his role as a gymnast in the coming-of-age flick Jump Ashin! (2011) was impressive.

"This film tells the tale of two different men from different age groups, with each having his own challenges and problems. Finding someone youthful with such a strong fighting spirit – and one who could meet our shooting schedule – was a big problem.

"Then one day, someone suggested Eddie Peng. They also told me that he trained for a year to play his part in Jump! Ashin, but I was still a sceptic. After all, where would such an actor exist today? However, during my first meeting with him, I was immediately taken in by how much he is like the character Li Si Qi. The rest is history," said Lam.

New drama thriller The Bridge keeps viewers guessing from one border city to another.

IN the dead of night, the lights suddenly go off on the Bridge of the Americas, a heavily utilised bridge that connects the United States and Mexico border cities of El Paso in Texas and Ciudad Juarez in Chihuahua. The entire border crossing is plunged into complete darkness.

Before border patrol officers can determine what's going on, the power comes back on, revealing a dead body lying right on the border line – half on American soil, and the other half in Mexico.

This is the gambit for The Bridge, a brand new drama thriller based on a Swedish/Norwegian drama series also called The Bridge (or Bron in Swedish and Broen in Danish).

Things get interesting real fast in the show. El Paso detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) and Chihuahua detective Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir) both go down to the crime scene as the murder falls under both their jurisdictions.

The detectives discover that the body is severed at the waist and that the dismembered body actually belongs to two different people – the top half belongs to American judge Lorraine Gates while the lower torso belongs to a young Hispanic girl named Christina Fuentes. Ruiz recognises Christina's name and connects her to a previous case he was working on in which 23 dismembered bodies were discovered in a "death house".

Whoa.

There is a serial killer at large and Cross and Ruiz are forced to work together to solve the case. Cross is a socially awkward, by-the-book cop suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. She finds herself drawn into an unfamiliar world of drugs, prostitution and human trafficking – things are just not so cut-and-dry as she is used to.

However, even though she's blunt and direct to a fault, Cross is an ace detective who is used to being in control. In Mexico, though, she's forced to relinquish that control because things are done a little differently there.

The Mexican police fix their investigations to protect their families from the dangerous drug lords whose involvement in the case isn't clear but is, at the same time, obvious.

Things start moving once the killer makes contact. For some reason, the murderer chooses arrogant journalist Daniel Frye (Matthew Lillard) as his point of contact, using him to get his messages across to the authorities. The serial killer, it would seem, has a political agenda, namely calling to question the cultural wars between the two countries. His first message – through Frye – is this: why should the death of one white woman be more important than that of so many Mexicans across the bridge?

The killer strikes again soon after the incident on the bridge. When the killer asks for ransom for his latest victim, a Hispanic woman hoping to make her way across the border, Cross and Ruiz smell a red herring: serial killers don't ask for ransom.

Are they being played? Is there even a serial killer?

The case is intriguing enough but it isn't the most interesting thing about the show. Quite soon into the first episode, you realise that this isn't your typical whodunit series. The murders uncover a greater, much darker mystery involving a host of other characters who are directly or indirectly connected to the central case.

We learn that you don't know who anyone is, completely. There are deep, dark secrets and we want to know what these secrets are more urgently than we want to know who the serial killer is.

This is what makes The Bridge possibly the best new series on television at the moment. There are layers of mystery and so far the show's writers (led by creators Elwood Reid and Meredith Stiehm, who also did Cold Case) seem to be playing things out cohesively.

If you like drama and intrigue and are craving a fresh take on the standard murder/detective tale, The Bridge will seem like a breath of fresh air. With each episode, just as the detectives seem to have made some headway into the case, a new twist is introduced and a whole new mystery is spun.

Add to that some really good acting, namely Bichir (who was previously in Weeds) as the flawed but likable Ruiz.

Here's my grouse, though. While I love the fact that Cross is nowhere near perfect – her inability to emote is evocative of another favourite TV detective, Adrian Monk (of Monk) – I am not completely convinced that I love Kruger's interpretation of the character. Monk was endearing, Cross ... not so much.

Still, there are brilliant performances by the supporting cast as well, like Australian actor Thomas M. Wright as shady social worker Steven Linder and Puerto Rican actor Ramon Franco who plays a drug lord named Fausto Galvan (he appears in Episode Four). I can't wait to see the story unfold.

CHAN Fong has kept listeners glued to the radio with his show City Heartbeat (Tai Seng Sam Si) which airs on 988. Now, his popularity has extended to the literary world. His first book, an adapation of 32 stories from his radio show, was launched recently at the BookFest@Malaysia 2013. It topped the bestselling chart the week it was released. The popular DJ will embark on a book tour soon. Tour details will be announced on 988 soon.

Also on 988 this week,

The Feature (Mon-Tues, 9am-10am)

Malaysia is a lovely country to live in, so it's not surprising that many foreigners are opting to stay here for the long term. The Feature takes a look at the requirements and procedures for foreigners who are interested to make Malaysia their second home.

Morning Up VIP (Wed-Fri, 9am-10am)

Anna Yau Hoi Man, the host of popular show You Are The Queen (Nu Huang Jia Dao) on Now TV, will share tips on beauty and fashion.

Music VIP (Mon-Fri, 2pm)

Huang Yida, the popular Singaporean singer and songwriter is set for a comeback with his new album Heart Disk.

"I chose Irina, as she is such a vivacious woman, and with all the beautiful women in the campaign, I really needed someone who would keep the audience's attention," Cruz said.

In fact, as Cruz told WWD, the experience was extremely personal.

"They gave me all the freedom, and I was able to tell the story I wanted to tell. I used women of all shapes and ages, as it was important for me to let women know that this brand is for everyone," she shared.

The film can be viewed on the brand's website. Cheaper than the main Agent Provocateur lingerie sets, the L'Agent collection will sell at an average price of US$61.50 (RM200), but won't be available in the brand's own stores. – AFP Relaxnews

Unbeatable may have taken a while to make, but director Dante Lam is happy with the result.

Dante Lam's Unbeatable first came across our radar when its leads bagged top acting honours at the recent 16th Shanghai International Film Festival, with Nick Cheung winning the best actor award and Crystal Lee winning best actress.

Filmed in Macau and Hong Kong, Unbeatable is an action movie that features mixed martial arts. Lam was excited to work with a multi-national cast: Cheung is from Hong Kong, Eddie Peng is Taiwanese-Canadian, Andy On is Chinese-American and of course, Lee is from Malaysia.

"I enjoy making each and every one of my films, but this one even more so. When filming action blockbusters, there tends to be many sources of stress. For example, when filming on a street, various issues could crop up which would require some quick-thinking to solve the problem.

"In comparison, Unbeatable was quite different as I was able to enjoy the shooting process, and conduct detailed discussions with the actors about their roles, which created a more enjoyable atmosphere," shared Lam, 48, in an e-mail interview.

According to the director, Peng was the perfect choice to play Li Si Qi because they are alike in some ways.

Though Unbeatable was conceptualised five years ago, Lam had problems getting actors for the film, so he had to put the movie on hold. In the meantime, though, Lam focused on working on – and releasing – The Viral Factor (2012), The Stool Pigeon (2010), Fire Of Conscience (2010), Sniper (2009) and Beast Stalker (2008).

"Naturally, Nick Cheung was my first choice and I was surprised at how much he pushed himself to great effect. Our previous two collaborations (Beast Stalker and The Stool Pigeon) were already tough to do, but Unbeatable exerted a whole different level of physical challenge. Nonetheless, we both share the same ideology: The film industry is a tough one, but the audience can see the effort you put in and the sacrifices you make for the film," said Lam.

In Unbeatable, Cheung portrays debt-ridden former boxing champ Chin Fai, who is forced to flee Hong Kong to Macau to avoid further harassment from loan sharks. There, he befriends his neighbour's bossy daughter Dani (Lee) and meets a young boxer named Li Si Qi (Peng).

Seeing how Li is determined to win a boxing match, Fai becomes the young man's mentor, and eventually rediscovers his own passion to fight.

Having to buff up for the role of a lean and mean mixed martial arts fighter may be a tall order for some actors, but Cheung spared nothing to acquire the physique of a boxer. He went on a strict diet and hit the gym daily.

Famed for his dedication to his craft, Cheung had previously spent six months working out for the role of a convict in the Roy Chow-helmed Nightfall. He had lost so much weight then that he was only 53kg by the time filming began for Nightfall.

At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur in June with Cheung and Lee, the former recalled an embarrassing moment.

"I was changing out of my clothes for the next scene and had just removed my shirt when I noticed that everybody in the room, whether they were male or female, were just staring at me. It was terribly embarrassing," said the 45-year-old actor, who stopped going to the gym after he was done with Unbeatable as he had "absolutely no interest in body-building and only did it for the movie".

Cheung had some tough times while filming the movie.

"My pinky finger was broken in so many places (a stuntman had accidentally kicked him), it was shaped like the letter 'Z'. It was so bad that I didn't even dare look at it while I was waiting in the emergency room. But my only concern then was that it would affect the movie. At that time, we hadn't even started filming the action sequences yet and my scenes included punching sandbags, fighting with opponents in the boxing ring and getting beaten up," said Cheung.

As for the character of young boxer Li Si Qi, director Lam thought he wouldn't be able to find the perfect actor until he met 31-year-old Peng, whose commitment to his role as a gymnast in the coming-of-age flick Jump Ashin! (2011) was impressive.

"This film tells the tale of two different men from different age groups, with each having his own challenges and problems. Finding someone youthful with such a strong fighting spirit – and one who could meet our shooting schedule – was a big problem.

"Then one day, someone suggested Eddie Peng. They also told me that he trained for a year to play his part in Jump! Ashin, but I was still a sceptic. After all, where would such an actor exist today? However, during my first meeting with him, I was immediately taken in by how much he is like the character Li Si Qi. The rest is history," said Lam.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday he will ask for decree powers last used by his predecessor Hugo Chavez to ramp up a fight against corruption that has begun to cost him politically with supporters.

Maduro, who served as Chavez's foreign minister and vice president, narrowly won an election four months ago after his socialist mentor died of cancer.

He has struggled with slowing economic growth and rising inflation while also trying to impose control on the diverse coalition he inherited from Chavez. It ranges from military officers to businessmen, leftist ideologues and armed militants.

A new anti-corruption drive that Maduro launched with great fanfare has led to the arrest of some relatively senior officials from state-run businesses and institutions.

But it has suffered from a widespread public perception that "big fish" with political connections have been spared.

In a nationally televised speech, Maduro said he would ask the National Assembly, which is dominated by his supporters, to grant him decree powers to step up his battle to defeat graft.

"I'm going to call a national emergency in the fight against corruption, and I'm going to ask for special powers in order to change the laws," he said. "If I have to change all the laws to confront corruption, I'm going to do it."

To be granted decree powers, Maduro would need the votes of three-fifths of the National Assembly, or 99 deputies. His ruling Socialist Party holds 98 seats, so he would need just one independent lawmaker to back him.

Chavez governed for months using decree powers that he requested from lawmakers in 2010 to push through reconstruction and relief projects after floods left nearly 140,000 homeless.

At the time, critics accused him of exploiting the disaster to sideline the Assembly before the arrival of a raft of opposition legislators elected that year.

Chavez later said he was being demonized around the world for ruling by decree, and at one point said he would give up the powers if the post-flood measures were put in place quickly.

It was unclear what laws Maduro might change by decree, and he gave few details in his speech.

In its latest annual index of perceptions of corruption, global watchdog Transparency International ranked Venezuela as the ninth most corrupt country in the world.

Among the senior officials caught up in Maduro's anti-graft campaign are five who are charged with embezzling $84 million from a China-financed development fund.

But many Venezuelans openly wonder why some individuals widely believed to be corrupt, including heavyweight figures close to the government, have not been brought to justice.

Some "Chavistas" see that as a betrayal of their late hero's memory, so the perception that his administration is soft on corruption has become a challenge for Maduro that rivals violent crime and the economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Monday launched a formal review of its electronic intelligence gathering that has come under widespread criticism since leaks by a former spy agency contractor.

The Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies will examine the technical and policy issues that arise from rapid advances in global telecommunications, the White House said in a statement.

The group will assess whether U.S. data collection "optimally protects our national security and advances our foreign policy while appropriately accounting for other policy considerations, such as the risk of unauthorized disclosure and our need to maintain the public trust," the statement said.

The high-level group of outside experts has 60 days to deliver its interim findings. A final report and recommendations are due on December 15.

A separate statement by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper confirmed the review. Neither the White House nor Clapper released details on the size or composition of the panel.

In a news conference at the White House on Friday, President Barack Obama vowed to improve oversight of surveillance and restore public trust in the government's programs.

The formal review is one of four measures unveiled by Obama, who said he had ordered a review of the surveillance programs before ex-National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked secret documents to The Guardian and The Washington Post.

Obama's other measures include plans to work with Congress to pursue reforms of Section 215 of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act that governs the collection of so-called "metadata" such as phone records, and reform of the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which considers requests from law enforcement authorities on intelligence-gathering targets.

Obama also vowed to provide more details about the NSA programs to try to restore any public trust damaged by the Snowden disclosures.

Civil liberty groups demanded more details on Obama's plans, but WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called the announcement "a victory of sorts for Edward Snowden and his many supporters.

The Obama administration has vigorously pursued Snowden to bring him back to the United States to face espionage charges for leaking details of U.S. surveillance programs to the media. Snowden is now in Russia, where he has been granted a year's asylum.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - President Enrique Pena Nieto on Monday proposed an overhaul of Mexico's energy industry to offer private companies profit-sharing contracts, but investors said it might be too cautious and some sold Mexican assets.

The proposal calls for changes to key articles of the constitution that ban certain contracts and make oil, gas, petrochemicals and electricity the sole preserve of the state, in a bid to lure investment to stem sliding oil output.

If enacted, the reform would mark the largest private sector opening in decades for Mexico's energy industry, which was nationalized in 1938 and is controlled by state monopoly Pemex.

However, the centrist government's bill stops short of proposing concessions to tap Mexican oil, or production-sharing, that were viewed as the best-case scenarios by oil companies.

It also avoids giving private companies ownership over Mexico's oil and gas and instead gives them a share of profits, in cash but not oil. It was not yet clear how attractive the reform would be for oil majors such as BP Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp.

Energy Minister Pedro Joaquin Coldwell said the government had "not spoken with the big oil companies" about the reform.

Chevron Corp welcomed "any decision by the government and people of Mexico to provide new opportunities for investments" but said it had not yet reviewed the proposal.

An executive with an independent U.S.-based oil company said the proposal lacks the main element oil companies require.

"If the operators aren't going to own the reserves, it would be really hard" to view the reform as a game-changer. "That's how we're judged by Wall Street, by growing production and growing reserves," the executive added, requesting anonymity.

Mexico's proposal falls short of frameworks in oil-producing peers such as Brazil, Colombia and Norway, which allow companies to keep a share of output, and its success will now likely hinge on how generous the profit-sharing contracts are.

Pemex CEO Emilio Lozoya said the new contract plan would auction new, unexplored oil and gas fields to private companies.

Mexico's ample deep water oil and shale gas reserves are often cited as likely to figure into new contracts.

The proposal will be sent to Congress this week and is expected to pass because the government has backed away from more aggressive reform that would have faced bitter opposition from the left.

"The reform neither promotes nor contemplates production-sharing contracts," Pena Nieto said in a televised address from his official residence.

"What it seeks to do is reach profit-sharing contracts which allow the nation to keep total control over the oil," he added, saying that oil and gas reserves would remain under the exclusive ownership of the state. "Pemex is neither being sold nor privatized."

Finance Minister Luis Videgaray told analysts the contracts would include "moderate" royalties payable to the government in addition to income tax and rents, which are standard elsewhere in the world.

Some have suggested that breaking up the 75-year-old Pemex could double foreign investment in Mexico and improve growth, potentially providing the biggest leg-up to its economy since the North American Free Trade Agreement two decades ago.

The government would also offer permits in association with Pemex to refine, transport and store hydrocarbons and petrochemicals.

Under the proposal, the state would also retain control of electricity transmission and distribution currently controlled by state monopoly CFE, while strengthening electricity regulator CRE and the energy ministry. But it would further open electricity generation to more private investment.

PLAN 'MAY BE TOO CAUTIOUS'

"It may not be enough," said Marcelo Mereles, a partner at Mexico City-based energy consultancy EnergeA. "It might be an improvement on the current legal setup, but I don't know if it's going to be enough to make Mexico attractive at a global level. It may be too cautious."

Fred Lawrence, vice-president of economics and international affairs at leading Washington-based oil industry association Independent Petroleum Association of America, was more upbeat.

"It's very interesting ... It would be much better than what was there before for an E&P (exploration and production) company," he said.

Mexico's peso currency weakened after the announcement and the stock market also dropped. Mexican petrochemical companies that stood to benefit from stronger reforms fell sharply, giving up some recent big gains.

Mexico has the biggest proven oil reserves in Latin America after Venezuela and Brazil, at nearly 14 billion barrels. It also has shale-gas resources that might be as high as 460 trillion cubic feet, according to Pemex data.

The reform proposal tries to tread a fine line between the demands of leftist and conservative lawmakers on an emotive issue that overshadows Pena Nieto's wider reform agenda.

The energy overhaul is the cornerstone of a wide-reaching reform package he hopes will boost growth in Mexico, Latin America's No. 2 economy, and lift its energy industry into the modern era. But it is politically divisive.

The proposal seeks to tweak the language from one paragraph in Article 27 of the constitution to allow profit-sharing oil contracts.

Oil companies are awaiting details of the language of the ensuing so-called secondary laws that include the fine print of how to implement the bill to gauge how far-reaching and lucrative the reform will be and how contracts will be structured. Those details are expected to emerge later in the year at best.

The proposal also gave an insight into a fiscal reform, due later this year, aimed at boosting Mexico's paltry tax revenues.

Mexico leans on Pemex to fund about a third of the federal budget, which has hampered its ability to invest in abundant, but technically challenging deep-water reserves.

The reform would ease the financial burden on Pemex, lessening the amount used to prop up the government and using the leftover money to reinvest in the company or to be paid out as a dividend for the government to invest in public spending.

KUALA LUMPUR: Shares of Coastal Contracts rose to a high of RM2.75 in early Tuesday trade after it secured RM170mil in contracts for the sale of two ships.

At 10.03am, it was up two sen to RM2.69. There were 518,200 shares done at prices ranging from RM2.69 to RM2.75.

The FBM KLCI was up 10.23 points to 1,794.8. Turnover was 483.50 million shares valued at RM301.27mil. There were 317 gainers, 129 losers and 237 counters unchanged.

Coastal Contracts secured contracts worth RM170mil which involved the sale of one anchor handling tug supply and one subsea support and maintenance vessel.

The shipbuilder said including the new contracts, and after adjusting for revenue recognition from vessels delivered to buyers up to Aug 2012, it has about RM1.2bil worth of vessels sales orders awaiting delivery to customers up to 2014.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's FBM KLCI shook over the initial losses on Tuesday to climb nearly nine points, with the next target at the psychological important 1,800 level again, amid a firm broader market.

At 9.25am, the KLCI was up 8.89 points to 1,793.46. Turnover was 236.11 million shares shares valued at RM114.41mil. There were 206 gainers, 90 losers and 181 counters unchanged.

Maybank KE Research said in its technical outlook that the resistance levels of 1,786 and 1,811 will cap market gains, whilst obvious support levels are at 1,767 and 1,784.

It added the KLCI's recent swings are 1,826.22 (high), 1,723.74 (low) and 1,811.65 (high). It preferred to take a "Range Trading" stance on the index.

"Firm buying support for the index came in at 1,766.70 recently. The index may be range bound today. It may creep up towards 1,800 again," said Maybank Research.

KUALA LUMPUR: RHB Research is maintaining its forecasts for Tune Ins and fair value of RM2.15 derived from ascribing a target price-to-earnings (P/E) of 20 times to FY14 earnings per share (EPS).

It said on Tuesday this was pending Tune Ins's H1, 2013 results due later this month.

"We like the stock for its industry-beating earnings growth prospects. Future re-rating catalysts include: i) expansion into new markets, ii) overseas acquisitions, iii) more partnerships, and iv) a boost in take-up rates. Maintain Buy," it said.

RHB Research said based on the latest passenger data from AirAsia (FV: MYR3.39), it expects Tune Ins's H1, 2013 online net earned premiums to reach RM45mil to RM50mil (Q1,2013: RM22.2mil).

This should translate into an online net profit contribution of about RM25mil (Q1, 2013: RM11mil).

It said the forecast was based on the assumption of a take-up rate of 26%-32%, ii) a 50% profit margin, and iii) online claims ratio being kept at about 4%. The AirAsia Group recently reported strong Q2, 2013 on-year passenger growth - AirAsia Indonesia, with 32.6%, AirAsia Thailand (25.1%), and AirAsia Malaysia (12.4%) - while AirAsia X (FV: MYR1.65) reported a commendable 24.2% growth over the same period.

"Despite AirAsia's loss of potential business from Japan, Tune Ins is expected to see more contributions from fast-growing markets like China and Indonesia, and from new markets like Myanmar. The group is also committed to expand its market reach by having operations in as many as 18 markets by end-FY13.

"More M&As of insurance licences may also materialise as AirAsia has presence in Brunei, South Korea and Taiwan. Also, contributions from its indirect partnership with Cebu Pacific Air are expected to flow in from H2, 2013," said RHB Research.

KUALA LUMPUR: An estimated 1.2 million Malaysians suffer from some form of incontinence or inability to control urinal or faecal functions.

Continence Foundation Malaysia president Dr Peter Ng said that urinary incontinence, or the inability to control the bladder, which affected more women than men, was the most common pelvic floor disorder. The severity, he said, varied from person to person.

Dr Ng, a consultant urologist, said that one in 10 women had regular incontinence problem, while one in 20 men experienced it.

He said that there were two types of urinary incontinence affecting women – "stress incontinence" and "urge incontinence".

"The stress incontinence is caused due to coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercising or other movements that increase intra-abdominal pressure," he said.

As for urge incontinence, the leak was involuntary and was triggered by the sound of running water or drinking small amounts of water.

Dr Ng said in an interview that some people had a mix of stress and urge incontinences.

Fortunately, all of these can be treated.

"Incontinence is not a disease but rather a symptom of some other condition," Dr Ng said. "A sign that something else in your body is not functioning properly," he added.

"Urinary incontinence can happen to anyone but it becomes more common with advancing age. As you get older, women and men have similar urinary problems.

"The only difference is the prostate gland. Men have difficulty passing water (commonly due to prostate enlargement) and women wet themselves (commonly due to weak pelvic muscles)," he added.

Dr Ng said that there were many causes of incontinence and that sometimes it was only a temporary condition triggered by a certain food or consuming liquids such as alcohol and caffeine, that might irritate the bladder lining.

For women, it was caused by a previous pregnancy and childbirth, whereby, the pelvic floor muscles or the urinary sphincter or the nerves that control these muscles could have been damaged. It can also be due to the weakening of the bladder muscles, he said.

Dr Ng said that more than 80% of the cases could be cured by either controlling bowel movement, doing pelvic floor exercises, training the bladder, medication and surgery.

He felt that incontinence was not always an easy subject as it was still considered embarrassing or taboo to discuss the issue.

"Patients should see a urologist to get diagnosed. This will enable them to lead a normal life." — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation will be organising a forum to discuss whether preventive laws are the solution to the nation's growing crime rate.

"It will look at current legislation and other necessary measures to fight violent crime," said Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye when contacted.

According to the MCPF vice-president, the rising crime rate was a serious concern and the public wanted answers as to how it could be addressed. "The forum is organised as a platform for the Home Minister to hear from all sides before enacting any new preventive laws," he said.

The half-day forum will be held on Aug 24 at the Sunway Resort Hotel. It is jointly organised with the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, better known as Asli.

The forum's programme would include presentations by Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department, Pemandu and the newly-minted Crime Prevention Department.

GEORGE TOWN: There are now fewer cases of triads monopolising renovation works of high-rise buildings in the state, said Penang Master Builders' and Building Materials Dealers Association.

Its president Lim Kai Seng said many high-rise units were already partially furnished and were priced from RM400,000 onwards.

"This makes it unnecessary for high-rise property owners to engage contractors to do renovation. It also reduces the opportunity for the triads to provide renovation services," Lim said when commenting on triad-linked contractors who compel high-rise property owners to engage them for renovation works.

He said the triads usually targeted low and medium-cost projects priced at around RM72,000 because these units were sold without any basic renovation package.

He said this allowed them to offer their services at a higher cost, usually at about 20% more.

According to Lim, the triads begun to control renovation works for high-rise buildings in the 1990s when the construction industry in Penang was booming.

"Before that they used to collect ang pow from developers and contractors. They muscled into development projects to broaden their revenue base," he said.

"Over the years, police have worked with us and the developers to bring down such activities. So far, the authorities have proven to be very cooperative and efficient in arresting triad-linked contractors."

Lim denied allegations that contractors were in cahoots with the triads to monopolise renovation jobs.

"We have always lodged police reports whenever we received complaints from buyers," he added.

With Red 2, his second English-language movie this year, South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun's star continues to burn brightly in Hollywood.

The new movie has boosted Lee – a major film and television star across Asia, with new fans in the West – to the point where he is now getting recognised on the street in the United States, he says.

His Red 2 co-stars Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren say it is recognition well-earned, both singing his praises at a recent press event in New York.

The feelings are mutual. Lee says he was beside himself when he learnt he would be working with them and other members of the star-studded cast.

"I was so excited that I couldn't sleep. Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich – they're my heroes.

"Helen... I grew up with her movies too," he says in an interview to promote Red 2. "Her image is so cold and tough, but in real life, she is amazingly beautiful and amazingly nice. I really love and admire her."

Willis, who worked with Lee in another action film released earlier this year, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, was the one who first suggested roping in the 43-year-old actor for Red 2, the sequel to the 2010 film about special agents coming out of retirement.

Lee – who has appeared in the Korean series All In (2003) and Iris (2009), as well as internationally acclaimed films such as director Kim Ji-woon's A Bittersweet Life (2005) – was also an assassin-type character in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, his Hollywood debut.

Although the three Hollywood films have required him to flex his muscles and show his martial arts moves, Red 2 calls for more dialogue, including some that required good comic timing.

Lee acquitted himself well, Willis reports. "He's a really terrific actor. Funny and really helpful in scenes that were more complicated physically," says the American star of the Die Hard films.

Mirren, who plays another assassin out to kill Willis, went to a film festival in London to watch one of Lee's Korean movies, Gwanghae: The Man Who Became King.

In the 2012 historical drama, he plays both a king and the lowly acrobat who stands in for the monarch when his life is threatened.

"He was absolutely brilliant in it," enthuses the British actress who won the Best Actress Oscar for The Queen (2006), adding, "It was pure acting. And to see him as this incredible martial arts actor as well, I think he's really special."

Mirren and another cast member, Mary-Louise Parker, make admiring references to Lee's chiselled physique in this film, which features a scene where his character is forced to take off all his clothes.

"Yeah, every Hollywood movie makes me go naked," Lee jokes, adding, "I wish they would stop it" because it means a punishing diet and exercise regimen that lasts for months.

"Every character I have done in Hollywood so far, I have had to be perfect, physically," he says.

"In Red 2, there was one line in the script that said, 'Han is naked. His body is perfect'. Because of that line, I had to go on this diet," he says of his high-protein, sugar- and salt-free regimen.

"I was in New Orleans, which is famous for fried food and has a lot of great bars, and I couldn't enjoy it because I was filming," says the actor, who is set to marry South Korean actress Lee Min-jung today.

He hopes that as his career in the US grows, he will eventually be able to branch out and do different genres, just as he does back home.

"Unlike in Hollywood, I'm just an actor in Korea. We do various genres, we don't distinguish between action stars versus dramatic actors. We do everything."

Things are progressing in the right direction, if the level of recognition he gets from paparazzi is any indication. But as a humbling reminder, he just has to think back to a time when none of them knew who he was.

When he left a cast party for the first G.I. Joe film, for instance, he remembers spotting about 30 photographers waiting outside.

"I said to my manager, 'Do I look OK?' but when I walked out, the photographers were like, 'Move, move!' because they wanted me out of the way," he recalls, laughing.

The National Visual Arts Gallery is rolling out special exhibitions tied to 55th anniversary celebration.

The National Visual Arts Gallery turns 55 this year and the arts hub of Malaysia will be hosting various events and activities to commemorate its emerald anniversary.

Director-general of the National Visual Arts Development Board, Haned Masjak said the celebration was important to honour the gallery's achievements over the years. It will also serve to remind the public and highlight the nation's progress in the field of arts.

"The local art community keeps growing every year and we want to celebrate Malaysia's art journey. Apart from that, we would like to recognise the contribution of all local artists and visual art enthusiasts," said Haned in a recent press conference held at the national gallery.

"At the same time, we're looking forward to popularise art among Malaysians from various background, especially among the younger crowd. There's a need to hone a community that is passionate about the arts."

National Visual Arts Gallery

The festivity will feature an array of programmes that include art exhibitions and forums, interactive pop-up booths, talks, classes and the launch of the new National Portrait Gallery that will display portraits of prominent national figures.

"The new gallery is part of our growing initiative to establish a special institution solely dedicated to portraits in the future," Haned revealed.

The National Portrait Gallery – at the National Visual Arts Gallery – will be unveiled on Aug 27.

The celebration will also see the national gallery rolling out Art Net, a three-day networking platform (Aug 23-25) between visual artists and the public through a two-way consultation concept. Haned said that the platform is an initiative that will allow Malaysians to have a more comprehensive understanding about the world of visual arts. In addition to that, a special exhibition entitled M50 – Selamat Hari Malaysia (Aug 26 to Oct 8) will also be held at the national gallery and MAP@Publika in Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with Merdeka Day.

A total of 40 galleries across the nation will participate in the event, which pays homage to the country's development and modernisation as seen through the eyes of contemporary visual artists.

Other notable programmes in the line-up at the National Visual Arts Gallery include a special tribute exhibit PG Lim Remembered in honour of the late Tan Sri Lim Phaik Gan (Aug 30), a series of video lectures by the late renowned arts figure Ismail Zain (Oct 16) and an absorbing exhibit entitled Siapa Pelukis Malaysia? (Sept 16).

INTERWOVEN with threads of silver, a midnight blue panel shimmers softly on the wall. Beside it, crisp, angular lines are presented in contrast with circular motifs in bronze and pale gold. One is inspired by ancient mosaic art from the Roman Empire, while the other borrows from Japanese vintage kimono motifs and wood block prints.

This is songket art from Senijari (www.senijari.com) at its contemporary best: an impressive fusion of traditional craftsmanship and cultural elements from far beyond our shores – an exploration of the familiar culminating in a new take on the traditional.

"We are offering a modern, classy take on a traditional heritage craft. Each piece of Senijari fabric is handwoven using an intricate supplementary weft technique on the handloom, in the same way people did in the past," says Senijari founder and creative director Suryani Senja Alias of the songket products during a chat in Kuala Lumpur.

Holding true to the spirit of tradition, threads are painstakingly hand-dyed, dried and woven on the loom to form the background of the cloth, with metallic gold threads inserted in between the silk or cotton threads to create a pattern.

Senijari songket jewellery fuses modern design with heritage textile.

These rich and luxurious songket fabrics were traditionally brought out only for special occasions and signified the social structure of the elite.

The craft might be old, but these handmade products from Senijari boasts modern design aesthetics.

"They have a more universal appeal," says Suryani.

Indeed this is something that not many traditional craft projects can hold to its name.

She goes on to share that among the bestsellers are the jewellery pieces. With songket fabric handcrafted into flowers or twisted into ribbons, and paired with stones, charms, or chunky chains and the odd skull or two thrown into the picture, these are contemporary and edgy accessories that you can't miss on someone.

"Many of our designs have influences from other cultures. It's fresh, innovative and more relevant to today," says Suryani, who hails from Kelantan.

She points out that many people, particularly those with a love for travelling or the arts, are exposed to different cultures and design aesthetics.

An avid globetrotter herself, she draws inspiration from the sights and sounds from her travels and incorporates them into her designs.

She comes up with all the design concepts and visuals, and then collaborates with a textile designer and a group of weavers in Sarawak to translate these designs into Senijari products.

"It is very exciting for me to watch an idea take form, to see how rough images and visuals transform into reality, into a product," she says.

The former chairperson of the Yayasan Tuanku Nur Zahirah, a non-profit foundation that aims to preserve, enhance and promote indigenous craft and heritage, is a lawyer by profession who has several years of living abroad under her belt.

Crescent Moons At The Louvre is inspired by an Islamic-influenced mosaic piece.

"I have lived in many different countries and I travel very widely. I like going to markets, art galleries and bazaars. India, Morocco and Syria in particular are places I find totally mind-boggling, they have amazing handmade stuff," she says.

The homegrown heritage-inspired lifestyle brand takes its name from the words seni (art in Malay) and jari (finger), a reference to the creation of handmade art.

Artisans around the world face challenges in creating a sustainable livelihood; it is not different in Malaysia, and Senijari sets out to support Malaysia's traditional crafts by developing ways to ensure these crafts remain vibrant and economically viable.

"We work a lot with weavers from underprivileged communities and help to preserve our heritage and improve the livelihoods of artisans, weavers and craftsman," explains Suryani. A portion of sales proceeds from Senijari products will be channelled back into offering partnerships and other opportunities to artisans and designers in developing heritage-based products.

Launched earlier this year, the products are divided into three collections: fashion and accessories (shawls and jewellery), home and living (table runners and cushion covers) and textile art.

"Traditional songket often have repetitive motifs and have loud, bold colours," says Suryani, adding that she opts for "a more subtle palette."

"I try to limit myself to two or three shades in one piece to create a minimalist and modern effect."

The current collection – which took over a year in the works – comes in lots of blue, cream and grey with gold or silver, with the occasional accent shawl in bright saffron yellow and fuchsia pink.

"Senijari is an exclusive brand and I try hard to maintain the integrity of the design as well as its traditional aspects," Suryani relates.

Looking to launch her second collection at the end of this year, she is toying with the idea of pairing a deep orange with a strong cobalt blue. Expect grey and burgundy thrown into the basic colour scheme of black and grey, gold and silver.

"I intend to make use of antique Malaysian textiles in this collection. You might have a bag with bits of antique textiles, for example," she says, adding that although the social enterprise is still in its early stages, she dreams big.
"My dream is to set up a Senijari concept shop, complete with a restaurant. It will be a whole different shopping experience, where you browse and imbibe culture at the same time. It will feel like you are at a gallery and on a shopping spree combined!"

A Japanese artist's humourous takes on Paris are displayed throughout the city's busy streets.

Japanese illustrator Kanako, known for her elegant illustrations for Paris style and culture website My Little Paris, gently mocks Parisians in a series of 48 sketches exhibited until Aug 28 in the streets of Paris - on the Champs-Elysees, at Saint-Germain-des-Pres and in Barbes.

Asking for lunch at a cafe terrace in 17 seconds tops, or complaining because you have to wait another two minutes for the next metro - this is how Parisians are portrayed by Japanese illustrator Kanako with a light touch and a dash of humour.

The artist, who has been living in Paris since 2005 and running the My Little Paris site since 2008, exhibits her work for free in the streets of the French capital, from now to Aug 28. For the first time, a thousand city display panels have been put to use to show Kanako's 48 sketches, drawn with pencil and Japanese ink.

The exhibition is outdoors, free, and on display in three areas in Paris: the Champs-Elysees, Saint-Germain-des-Pres and Barbes.

Other examples of art that can be seen in the streets of Paris include a special installation at the Place des Abbesses in Montmartre, the "Mur des je t'aime" (The Wall of I Love Yous) by Fredric Baron and Claire Kito. On a surface of 40 sq m, 311 "je t'aime"s are written in 250 different languages.

Meanwhile, in another exhibition, entitled Lost In Paris and running from Sept 10 to Jan 11, stylist Maurizio Galante and designer Tal Lancman will take possession of the Lieu du Design to present works that bring together the themes of design and tourism. The exhibition will include a mobile photo booth, made in collaboration with La Poste (France's postal service) as part of the Moment Souvenir project that will be going from street to street and offering tourists portrait-stamps which feature monuments in the background. — AFP Relaxnews

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